From Lugar to Spain and Back

 by Roberta McGee

In the early 1890s Scottish coal and ironmasters William Baird & Company purchased mines firstly in Santander, Northern Spain then, in 1893, the Monte de Hierro mine (Mountain of Iron) which was located in the Sierra Morena mountains in Southern Spain. It was a significant site for the rich deposits of iron ore which were crucial for the steel industry. Baird brought in advanced mining techniques and equipment from Scotland which greatly improved the efficiency and output of the mine. The mountainous terrain meant the miners worked in dangerous conditions which led to frequent accidents and health problems. 

Many a Lang Scots Mile - our ancestors on the move:

 

The Iron Mountain - credit Visit Andalucia

John McPherson was a mechanical engineer employed by William Baird & Co. After his marriage to Agnes Muir in Lugar in 1911 the couple moved to the mining village of Cerro del Hierro at the Monte de Hierro Iron Mines in Spain. The mines were controlled by William Baird & Co and the area was connected by rail with the Port of Seville where the iron ore was shipped from. The area had an impressive karst landscape formed from limestone which is particularly rich in iron ore and other minerals. 

Cerro del Hierro area

A tunnel in the iron mines

John's time in Spain was spent training mining engineers. William Baird & Co built accommodation for their workers in the village of Cerro del Hierro, also known as Seville's Siberia, because of the extremely cold winters. However, rather than unbearably hot summers, the surrounding forests provided some protection against the hot winds. The engineers lived in houses known as the 'Casa de los Ingleses' (the houses of the English), because of their typically English type architecture. 

                                                   Ruins of ‘Casa de los Ingleses’ - Wikimedia 

John and Agnes were living in Spain when WW1 was declared on 4 August 1914. The vital demand for iron meant more workers were needed in Lugar and many Spaniards from the region were sent to Lugar when the local men went to war. John and Agnes remained in Spain, which was neutral, during WW1. 

Their first three children were born in Spain, Janet in November 1914, Neil in August 1917 and Robert in January 1919. They travelled back to Lugar where there son John was born in 1920. The 1921 census shows their children, Janet and Neil, who were recorded as 'resident in Spain' living with their grandparents Robert and Janet Muir at Rosebank, Lugar. How long they visited for is unclear. Rosanna was born in September 1921 in Spain, followed by William in 1922, Catherine in 1925 and Margaret in 1926. Their ninth child George was born in Lugar in 1931. 

Their visits back to Lugar, and their growing family, were obviously a source of interest to the villagers. Relative Heather McPherson says -

            My Dad tells the story that every time they came back from Spain old Mrs Auld

            used to say 'Well, that's them back from Spain again. How many more of them

            is there this time?'

It is unclear when John and Agnes returned to Rosebank, Lugar to settle permanently. John died there in 1955 and Agnes in 1963.

Image Europosters.eu